Jon Heyman tweets and then reports that the Cubs are talking to the former Rangers’ hitting coach and that “he’s likely to take the gig.” His salary would be $750,000, which would be a $150,000 raise. Not a bad deal for a guy whose old employer didn’t want him.

From what I’ve heard from my friends in Chicago, Cubs fans would be quite pleased if this comes to pass. But they would be remiss if they didn’t read Aaron’s take on this yesterday.

Were Jaramillo’s young charges in Texas good hitters because he coached them well, or is Jaramillo considered a good coach because his young charges were good hitters? Having watched the Mazzone-era unfold in Atlanta and then Baltimore, I’m skeptical that a coach makes a big difference once a player makes it to the big leagues.

Buchholz, 33, was acquired by the Phillies from the Red Sox in December 2016, but he made only two starts before an MRI revealed he had a partial tear of his right flexor pronator mass. He underwent surgery in April and missed the rest of the season.